Gas generating system



13, 1963 F. T. PISANO ETAL 3,397,030

GAS GENERATING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 6, 1966 INVENTORS FRANK 'r. PISANO LENNORD L. 'P|TN EY J. ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,397,030 GAS GENERATING SYSTEM Frank T. Pisano, Haddonfield, N.J., and Lennord L. Pitney, Levittown, Pa., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Sept. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 577,544 5 Claims. (Cl. 431-157) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A self-sustaining gas generating system having a pair of collapsible containers of hypergolic fuel and an oxidizer mounted in a pressure chamber housing and responsive to corresponding spring loaded pressure plate arrangements. A feedback conduit interconnects the pressure chamber housing with a combustion chamber housing.

This invention relates to gas generating systems and, more particularly, to a liquid or jelled propellant fuel type of gas generating system which once initiated is self-sustaining and self-controlling.

In one aspect of the invention the system includes spring loaded collapsible containers of hypergolic fuels including an oxidizer appropriately positioned in a pressure chamber and conduited to a combustion chamber, the output portion of which is conduit connected to apparatus operatively requiring delivered gas pressure and to the pressure chamber for further collapsing the containers.

In another aspect the output portion of the combustion chamber is conduit connected to a spring biased double piston sensing valve that controls fuel flow through the parallel delivery conduits leading to the combustion chamber.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing which is a schematic view partially shown in section of a preferred gas generating system embodying the principles of the invention.

Housing 10, embodying pressure chamber 11 as hereinafter described, has a plurality of transversely extending, tubular flange portions 12, 13, 14, 15 of circular contour with each having internal threads 16 extending a substantial distance inwardly from the outer ends thereof to receive a corresponding adjusting nut 17 for a purpose to be described.

Against the inner surface of each nut 17 is seated a retaining cup 18 and its corresponding compression spring 19. Preferably, in all adjusted positions of the nuts 17 the respective cups 18 have their sidewalls in sliding and sealing engagement with a corresponding O-ring 20 mounted in each tubular flange. A pair of collapsible containers 21, 22, of hypergolic fuels containing liquid and/or jelled fuels and an oxidizer, respectively, are positioned within the housing 10 between opposed pressure plates 23, 24 which are spring loaded to the desired extent by the adjusting nuts 17. Preferably, the forwardly protruding open portions 25, 26 of the fuel container 21 and oxidizer container 22 are connected by appropriate couplings 27, 27 to conduit members 28, 29 that deliver fuel to a fuel jet injector portion 30 of gas generator housing 31 embodying combustion chamber 32. An appropriate removable cover (not shown) permits access within pressure chamber housing 10 for assembly purposes.

Preferably conduits 28, 29 contain Y-type container loading valves 33, 34 each having a suitable connecting means 35 for attaching respective pressurized supply means to load the containers 21, 22 when the valves are turned to connector communicating positions. At 36 is 3,397,030 Patented Aug. 13, 1968 shown a two-position manual starting valve. The dualvalve mechanism delivers the fuel and oxidizer past respective one-way check valves 37, 37 and flow adjusting valves 38, 38 that contain a needle-type or other adjustable nozzle.

A filter cooler 40 is positioned in the enlarged discharge portion 39 of the combustion chamber and the outlet end plate 41 is appropriately connected with conduits 42, 43 and 44. The gas pressure output conduit 42, 42A contains a system pressurizing valve 45 in which a conical headed, suitably sealed piston is biased to the left (toward the closed position) against the overcoming forces of the incoming pressure gas by compression spring 47 to the desired extent determined by an adjusting nut 48 that pre sets the springload upon the poppet acting piston 46.

Feedback conduit 43 returns filtered propellant gas pressure to the rearward portion of pressure housing 10 to maintain a compressive load upon collapsible containers 21, 22 and the substantially constant pressure applying plates 23, 24. Conduit 43 also contains a system safety valve 49 for release of pressure in the event of an excessive internal pressure build-up.

Feedback conduit 44 delivers similar filtered output gas back to a system gas pressure sensing valve 50 which contains a dual valve piston 51 for the oxidizer and fuel lines 29, 28 and which is normally biased to the right (open position) by an appropriate spring arrangement 52 as controlled by adjusting nut 53. The piston spring load is preset to a predetermined value to be overcome by predetermined excessive feedback gas pressure in line 44, whereupon piston valve 51 responds with movement to the left for closing off fuel lines 28, 29 until such time as the system gas pressure is reduced to enable piston valve 51 to reopen.

Various modifications, changes or alterations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a self-sustaining gas generating system having a pair of collapsible containers of hypergolic fuel and an oxidizer mounted in a pressure chamber housing, a pair of conduits each having one end communicatively connected to corresponding ones of said containers, a combustion chamber housing at one end communicatively connected with said conduits, and a gas pressure output conduit communicatively connected with another end of said combustion chamber housing,

a feedback conduit communicatively interconnecting said pressure chamber housing with said combustion chamber housing adjacent said output conduit, and

spring loaded pressure plate means slidably mounted in said pressure chamber housing adjacent said collapsible containers,

so constructed and arranged that feedback gas pressure will maintain delivery of system fuel to said combustion chamber housing.

2. In a self-sustaining gas generating system having a pair of collapsible containers of hypergolic fuel and an oxidizer mounted in a pressure chamber housing, a pair of conduits each having one end communicatively connected to corresponding ones of said container, a combustion chamber housing at one end communicatively connected with said conduits, and a gas pressure output conduit communicatively connected with another end of said combustion chamber housing,

a feedback conduit communicatively interconnecting said pressure chamber housing with said combustion chamber housing adjacent said output conduit,

spring loaded pressure plate means slidably mounted in said pressure chamber housing adjacent said collapsible containers, and

manual starting valve ;means positioned in said pair of in each of said pair of conduits have a container loading conduits, valve rearwardly of said manual valve means.

so constructed and arranged that feedback gas pressure will maintain delivery of system fuel to said combus- References Cited tion chamber housing. 5

3. The arrangement of claim 2 in which each of said UNITED STATES PATENTS pair of conduits contains a flow adjusting valve, and said 2,394,852 2/1946 Goddard 15850.1 X output conduit has an adjustable system pressurizing 2,631,426 3/1953 Jewett 60-39.14 valve. 2,683,963 7/1954 Chandler 6039.48 X

4. The structure in accordance with claim 2 wherein 10 2,919,543 1/ 1960 Sherman et a1. 15850.1 X each of said pair of conduits contains a one-Way check 3,008,516 11/1961 Weiss 15842.1 valve to prevent backward fuel flow therepast, and a 3,231,002 1/ 1966 Lehrer 158-365 spring biased sensing valve rearwardly of said check 3,234,737 2/1966 Hilafid X valves and having means responsive to system gas pres- 3,296,803 1/1967 Kroekel 6039.48 X sure for movement in opposition to the sensing valve 15 spring toward a fuel delivery interrupting position. FREDERICK KETTERER Primary Examiner 5. The arrangement in accordance with claim 2 where- 

